We’re the kind of people who watch the Super Bowl for the ads, so it makes sense that this is one of our favorite blogs: Reviewing this year’s hospital commercials and choosing our favorites.
But it’s about more than just watching amazing, creative, inspiring ads. The process always leaves us excited about the healthcare industry and grateful for the selfless people who work in it.
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What Makes a Winning Hospital Commercial?
We’ve been selecting the best hospital commercials for years. Many aspects of the healthcare industry have changed over time. But the elements of a great hospital commercial remain the same. We want commercials that move us, inspire us and give us hope for humanity.
The hospital ads on this list do just that.
The Best Healthcare Commercials of the Year
#10. Hackensack Meridian Health System
We say the words “healthcare technology changes lives” all the time. But in this ad from Hackensack Meridian Health, you see it happening. A patient has severe tremors. After undergoing an innovative, incisionless procedure, he can drink a cup of water without shaking. And as he tearfully embraces his loved one, you see how grateful they are for this life-changing treatment.
#9. Penn Medicine*
This commercial by Penn Medicine focuses on how the hospital is moving medicine and healthcare forward. But there are no drab images of beakers in a lab or radiology slides. Instead, beautiful imagery and symbolism, with just the right touch of swelling music in the background, create a powerful ad. An orchestra conductor in motion illustrates the technology of bilateral hand transplants. Glowing fireflies demonstrate how injecting fluorescent dye helps find hidden tumor cells. The commercial makes you excited and hopeful about the future of medicine — and glad that Penn Medicine is helping us get there.
#8. Northwell Health
Northwell Health’s ad is not about them — it’s about community. They address social determinants of health and remind us that we all play an active role in the health of our community.
#7. Valley Children’s Hospital
You won’t be able to resist Sophia. She narrates the thank you letter she’s writing to Valley Children’s Hospital, where the NICU staff cared for her when she was born prematurely. She describes the experience through the eyes of a child. (Her incubator is her “special fort.”) While she obviously doesn’t remember being in the NICU, she does know that whatever the staff did, they “made my mommy happy.”
#6. Yale New Haven Health
This commercial from Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven Health shows what it means to have confidence in your care team. Hours before a consultation with her cancer care team, a mother can enjoy lunch with her son. She’s able to “laugh at the little things” because she knows Smilow has the big things handled.
#5. Wesley Medical Center
Wesley Medical Center‘s commercial focuses on something that’s become even more essential over the past years: moments of kindness. A stranger lends someone an umbrella. A nurse Facetimes a patient’s family. One great “gotcha” moment in the commercial: It seems a staff member is using a shunt to drain fluid, but she’s actually putting candles on a birthday cake. That moment illustrates the essence of the ad: So much of a patient’s hospital experience depends on the kindness of the staff. A hospital staff that gets a patient a birthday cake seems like a special place.
#4: Johns Hopkins Medicine*
It’s probably no surprise that Johns Hopkins, one of the world leaders in clinical trials and research, highlights those aspects in their ad. They mention the blood test they developed that screens for 8 different types of cancer and new treatments that reduce damage after a heart attack. These advances help move medicine forward for everyone.
#3. UCHealth
OK, we admit it: We’re suckers for a good bait-and-switch. And this commercial from UCHealth does not disappoint. Watch mountain biker Brian Malek, a real UCHealth patient, ride his mountain bike downhill, making dizzying turns. A voice-over explains the details of the “most extraordinary technology in mountain biking” that enables him to be such a great rider. Spoiler alert: It’s NOT his bike. (If you just have to know: It’s his spine, which he had replaced by the team at UCHealth after a fracture. And because UCHealth knows you’re going to want to read more about Brian, they linked to his story from their homepage.)
#2. Banner Health
For the third year in a row, Banner Health made our list. Their advertising team knows how to make you feel all the things! We love their upbeat ads. This commercial wordlessly and poignantly illustrates the struggles of the sandwich generation — but knowing that Banner Health is by your side eases those worries.
#1. The Hospital for Sick Children
The Hospital for Sick Children knows the incredible strength and power within children. The ad shows kids overtaking the darkness of childhood illness — literally. It’s moving and powerful.
Want to See More Inspiring Healthcare Commercials?
Check out our winners from last year: The Top Hospital Commercials of 2020
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